The 40 Best Streetwear Brands of the 2000s

The 2000s were chock-full of clothing brands that fused elements of skateboard and hip-hop style, a combination that dragged us into a decade-long rabbit hole of glorious streetwear. Tons of brands hit their stride during the aughts, and dope graphics, limited sneaker collabs, and bold patterns ruled men's style from coast to coast.

Streetwear's foundation was built up in the '90s, and from that solid platform the genre excelled throughout the 2000s. It may be a cliche at this point, but the spread of the Internet allowed ideas to spread quickly and build off of one another, and the barriers of entry to starting one's own brand were lower than ever. This created a busy arena with multiple participants that brought a torrent of creative output, and streetwear became its own culture. Within these 10 years we're focusing on, a lot of bands came and went, but a few cut through the noise to excel for a significant amount of time.

Whether they made a product that changed the game, or consistently put out solid collections that had people lining up to try and cop, the top labels found ways to remain atop the rest in a competitive world where the next hottest brand could come from someone screenprinting dope T-shirts in their cramped apartment. The rapid innovation and flood of creative thought that defined the culture during the first decade of the 21st century was undeniable, but only a few triumphant labels could be called The 40 Best Streetwear Brands of the 2000s.

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Founded: 2003
From: New York City

During the mid-2000s, streetwear aficionados preferred louder clothing pieces that could make an instantaneous statement whenever they walked into a room. And Lemar and Dauley, using turquoise, pink, and black on a lot of its clothing, was never known to shy away from bright, attention-grabbing gear.

Lemar and Dauley proved that a brand could gravitate towards one color palette and remain successful. It focused on sure-fire streetwear iconoclasts such as Andre Agassi, Notorious B.I.G., and De La Soul, and was afforded the opportunity to collaborate with adidas.

Founded: 2006
From: New Hampshire

For All to Envy went from selling rare vintage athletic gear from the '80s and '90s to designing sick T-shirts that represented the same era in sports and hip-hop. Being from New England, the brand had a strong tilt towards the Boston Celtics, and made T-shirts for both Len Bias and Red Auerbach.

But the label is best know for referencing the impossible-to-know urban legend that Wilt Chamberlain supposedly bedded 20,000 women—taking the famous photograph from the game Chamberlain scored 100 points, and putting "Girls, Girls, Girls" on the back of the tee. Appropriating obscure cultural references and heroes of the past to make a clever joke? Only a few labels were successful in executing this move and having it resonate within the streetwear culture.

Founded: 2002
From: Japan

Streetwear had an obsession with raw and unwashed denim in the '00s, but there are very few brands that harked back to the days of hot rods, slicked-back hair, and wearing your jeans with a big cuff like Fiberops did. Started by Alyasha Owerka-Moore, the man behind Alphanumeric, Fiberops was influenced by grease, gasoline, and guys who liked to get their hands dirty.

Instead of trying to create the next Levi's, Owerka-Moore took notions of pin-up models and dangerous speeds to graphic T-shirts that were unapologetic, and he still produced dope raw denim. The tees found a home with an audience that was used to half-naked women up on their cotton, but done in a classier manner a la the '40s and '50s. Fiberops helped usher in an appreciation for vintage American badassery.

Founded: 2006
From: New York City

Rockers NYC was able to capture the loud and vibrant energy of the mid to late-2000s streetwear and do it with its own unique context. The brand's designs riffed off inspiration from, like its name suggests, the crossroads of Jamaican and NYC cultures. They got the attention required to get the chance to design several outfits that were worn by Jamaican gangsters in Grand Theft Auto IV. If that's not a young designer's dream, then we don't know what is.

But Rockers didn't pigeonhole itself as a cool T-shirt brand. The label also offered their unique cultural mash-up aesthetic on sweatshirts, 5-panel hats, and windbreakers, along with a collaboration with Cassette Playa.

Founded: 2004
From: New York City

Sports definitely have their place within streetwear, and No Mas took an old school approach to appropriating them in its clothes. Getting its name from the words Roberto Duran uttered during a fight with Sugar Ray Leonard, No Mas originated around a boxing theme, but branched out from there. It collaborated with Puma on several pairs of First Rounds, and with Dee and Ricky on gym bags made from vintage starter jackets. Streetwear heads love obscure references, as do sports nerds, and throughout the 2000s No Mas served the very niche clientele that fell into both categories.

Founded: 2003
From: New York City

Today 3sixteen is a seriously dope denim brand, but its humble roots lie in the world of 2000s streetwear. The brand shot onto the scene when it appropriated Nas' seminal lyric, "I never sleep, 'cause sleep is the cousin of death," onto a T-shirt that had Sleepy from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves dapping up the Grim Reaper. Genius-level references, cleverness, and artwork were all qualities that immediately got you fans in the aughts.

3sixteen did show evidence of what would become its eventual tilt towards Americana, as it made fitteds out of heavy wool and seersucker and slowly transitioned away from graphic T-shirts. 3sixteen's importance in the larger scheme was its ability to adapt with the times. The brand's growth and direction mirrored that which took place within the streetwear culture as the decade marched on.

Founded: 2006
From: New York City

PegLeg NYC was far ahead of its time, and the brand—founded by Manhattan natives Harry McNally, Bobby Waltzer, and Nick Poe—created flashes of what we could all expect in the years to come. Many pieces from the brand's formative years look pretty similar to today's intersection of menswear and streetwear, and PegLeg definitely wasn't just another bright and loud streetwear brand from 10 years ago. PegLeg specialized in outerwear with linings, patchwork and paneled sweatshirts, and even collaborated with Opening Ceremony.

PegLeg can definitely be labeled ahead of its time, and it's a shame that the brand only lasted four years. The label had the right amount of restraint to innovate the perception of streetwear without going over the edge.

Founded: 2003
From: New York City

At first glance, King Stampede's psychedelic graphics seamlessly fall in line with the ethos of numerous other streetwear brands of the 2000s. But if you dig a little deeper, the brand's history broke ground as an apparel off-shoot of a record store.

The clothes were trippy long before people put "mayne" on the end of that description, and hats that read "Ole" and "Darkness!" reflected the diversity and humor you'd expect to find in an independent record store. As the decade creeped closer to its end, King Stampede also tried its hand at some pretty sick cut-and-sew pieces.

Founded: 1997
From: New York City

New Yorkers loved the simplicity and boldness that was introduced in '90s-era Ralph Lauren and Nautica. The style propagated by these labels could be found all over the city, and especially with skaters who hung out downtown. ONLY NY got a quick start on re-appropriating the nautical and sportswear influenced designs, setting up shop in '97, and was definitely one of the key influences in spreading NYC street-oriented flair.

What worked for ONLY is that it never tried too hard to do something it wasn't comfortable with. It stuck with 5-panel, T-shirts, sweatshirts, and skate, and was successful at keeping things uncomplicated without ever being boring.

Founded: 1994
From: Tokyo

Neighborhood was able to turn its love for Japanese motorcycle culture into collaborations with American streetwear brands. Its 2006 collection with Supreme was so good that people like Frank Ocean and A$AP Rocky are still wearing it today. The label also collaborated with Vans on a kicks that represented both brands' origins.

But just because he was partenering with the most sought-after American labels iddn't man designer Shinsuke Takizawa strayed from his Harajuku roots. He still designed clothes for guys who preferred a ducktail haircut and wearing gear that was too badass for most to handle.

Founded: 1998
From: New York City

Stash and Futura's names alone were buzzwords in the 2000s. Their sneaker collaborations with Nike were amongst the most limited, re-sellable, and, overall, some of the best kicks out there. Their brand, Recon, served as a platform for their fans to further their addiction to their artwork or to become a part of NYC's thriving graffiti culture without bombing around town at 4a.m.

Recon's imagery was centered around New York City and graffiti lore, with its logo taking the form of Benny Barb, a piece of barbwire. The brand is famous for its collaboration with Nike on a pair of Air Force One Mids that had a camo upper and a steel toe. Later on, Recon would work closely with Massachusetts boutique Concepts on collaborations and a re-release of the AF1.

Founded: 2003
From: New York City

Sneakers have always been an integral part of skateboarding, and skaters Dave Ortiz and Chris Keefe were key players in helping develop the sneaker enthusiasm that blossomed in 2000s streetwear. The brand DQM (which originated asDave's Quality Meats) launched with a butcher theme, something that came through in the "Bacon" Nike Air Max 90s, which became one of the best overall sneaker releases of the past 10 or so years. The brand collaborated and started a partnership with Vans in 2007, and, ultimately, started to create a full apparel line that clothed the young bucks who used to hang around the shop.

Founded: 2003
From: Hong Kong

CLOT were the cool guys of Hong Kong streetwear. The brand not only served as America's introduction to Edison Chen, but proved that, if done right, Nike Air Max 1s could have clear toeboxes.

Chen's celebrity status afforded his brand to collaborate with Nike, visvim, A Bathing Ape, and Levi's. They also scored a serious co-sign from Lupe Fiasco, one of the most influential rappers in 2000s streetwear. Chen, who is a musician himself, opened for Kanye West on the "Touch the Sky" tour, and created four pairs of Nike Air Max 1 iDs with 'Ye that were lasered with "CLOT" on the side.

Founded: 2004
From: New York City

Reason made some of the best T-shirts of the 2000s. The brand's graphic T-shirts were dope, as was its collaboration with Diamond, but the NYC-based brand immediately gained a following with their ODB T-shirt. However, it wasn't just tees. The label also focused its efforts on outerwear, printed sweatshirts, and quickly established itself as a dual-threat in streetwear: A brand that could make both simple and complex garments.

Founded: 1993
From: Tokyo

WTaps is the Japanese brand that took inspiration from military garments and mantras of the past and applied them into the modern streetwear world. The brand's interest ran in-line with hip-hop style from the '90s, but updated the aesthetic to produce sophisticated collaborations with Vans, Supreme, BAPE, Undefeated, and so many more that people spent significant time trying to learn how to actually pronounce its name. (The W is pronounced as "Double.")

Founded: 2002
From: Hawaii

Think of In4mation as the chill Hawaii dudes who love to skate and just make dope shit with their friends. The brand's T-shirts and work with G-Shock would make it an icon in street culture, but it matured through the decade and also focused on cut-and-sew pieces.

In4mation is also remembered for its collaboration with Vans on a pair of Half Cabs that were denim on the upper, but could be removed to show a houndstooth pattern underneath. Being down with Mass Appeal magazine and Canadian rap group Swollen Members only further cemented the brand's legitimacy.

Founded: 1994
From: London

While it's impossible to credit Maharishi with single-handedly making camouflage popular, it definitely played a significant role. Hardy Blechman, the brand founder, can be certified as an authentic camo nut and expert, and he injected unique forms of the pattern into a ton of garments throughout the 2000s, influencing others around him the whole time.

If the name isn't familiar, you still probably heard the brand name-dropped on Lupe Fiasco's "Gotcha." Lupe's connection with Maharishi was strong, and he was even made a special jacket for the release of his second album, The Cool.

Founded: 2004
From: New York City

Mighty Healthy could have easily been mistaken for a West Coast streetwear brand because of its bold graphics that dominated the L.A. scene, but the NYC brand had an East Coast flare of its own. The brand was huge in flipping logos and making references to '90s hip-hop and sports heroes, all things that kids in the '00s loved.

During this decade, Ghostface Killah gained cult-level notoriety, and Mighty Healthy paid tribute in a manner that reflects why sometimes simplicity is the best approach. It's "Listen to Ghostface" T-shirt was seen no matter what city you were in. The label's 2000s highlights also included collaborations with The Hundreds and DC Shoes, along with being ballsy enough to put Reggie Miller's choking message to its hometown New York Knicks on a T-shirt.

Founded: 1991
From: Los Angeles

X-Large ruled streetwear in the '90s. With financial backing from Mike D. of the Beastie Boys, the Los Angeles streetwear brand connected all the loose ends that circulated around hip-hop and skate culture. When the 2000s came knocking, not much changed, which was a very intentional move. X-Large's status within the culture was reaffirmed, and it was perceived as a trustworthy guardian and OG of streetwear.

Founded: 2006
From: Japan

KAWS went from the kid who altered New York City bus stop advertisements to one of the most respected and credible artists in not only streetwear, but the art world. His brand, Original Fake, was his outlet to display his art, and also to execute great collaborations.

KAWS placed his signature Chomper print on everything from archival Levi's jeans and jackets to pairs of A Bathing Ape sneakers. He also worked with Nike on very limited sneaker runs, that, even at the time of release, would go for crazy amounts of money. OriginalFake was one of the first streetwear brands that made inroads to the art world, a definite sign of things to come.

Founded: 1989
From: Los Angeles

Freshjive was founded by Rick Klotz in 1989, and to this day, we've never seen another brand quite like it. Streetwear has always commented on society by riffing on its most visible corporate logos and making its own statements, and Freshjive was a leader in this vein. But this all came to a head when, in 2005, Stussy sued Freshjive for flipping its signature logo, and Klotz's response to the situation was this:

"I had the best time defending myself, even though I lost $100,000," Klotz said. "Here they are suing me, and it was like, an obvious example of what I’m criticizing in this business: Everybody’s got their little different style and smoke and mirrors, but it’s basically saying to me that all those brands, it’s really all the same [stuff].”

Lawsuits and logo flips aside, Klotz shocked everyone when he decided to abandon the Freshjive's logo and release logo-less clothes that had a black box on the tag instead. True to form, Klotz and Freshjive still openly cracked jokes on the rest of the industry.

Founded:
From: New York City

aNYthing (pronounced A New York Thing) almost never happened. Brand Founder Aaron Bondaroff originally came up with the name Undefeated and traded with Eddie Cruz, who had come up with the name aNYthing. Everything else is history.

The brand was a result of Bondaroff's downtown credibility mixed with a DIY mentality and playing off logos that reflect iconic Big Apple imagery. Bondaroff is an OG Supreme shop boy, and widely credited with being a key player in helping to raise the brand to its present status. But aNYthing was a humorous and thoughtful representation of "The Downtown Don" and his unique personality that made him a subculture celeb. Even though Bondaroff parted ways with the label in 2008, aNYthing has moved into the cut and sew game and is still putting out gear that's favored by downtown cool kids with a sense of humor.

Founded: 2006
From: New York City

Acapulco Gold was great at the meaningful, multi-layered logo flip. Example: the notable design that referenced the graffiti film Beat Street, and the tagger Spit who would put his shitty tags over Ramo's dope murals. AG saw Spit's tag as something to put over high fashion labels like Chanel and Louis Vuitton.

The sweatshirts, T-shirts, and skate decks that bore this designo weren't just clever, they were a bigger statement of what 2000s streetwear stood for: A direct, more personal connection to the fashion world that designer labels couldn't offer younger but style-conscious kids who only had enough dough for T-shirts and 40s.

Founded: 2003
From: New York City

Mishka personified the bright and over-the-top element of streetwear that prevailed in the aughts. At the time, people wanted to wear clothes that stood out through punching society with bright colors and intense graphics.

Mishka's use of pink and turquoise combined with its Death Adders logo, a bear sticking out a reptile tongue, and an eyeball were what separated it from other brands, and provided immediately recognizable branding. Of course, with Mishka offering so many different colors to its pieces, it quickly became a brand that people across the country would cop to match their kicks.

Founded: 1997
From: New York City

Jeff Staple is best associated with his Nike SB "Pigeon" Dunks, but the designer has been, well, a staple in the streetwear community since 1997. For sneaker and streetwear heads, his collaborations with Nike and New Balance are grails—even causing riots. But as the 2000s went on, Staple developed the clothing line into its own identifiable brand and started to perfect cut-and-sew pieces with the same precision that it placed towards its T-shirts, sneakers, and fitted hat designs.

Founded: 2002
From: San Francisco

Keith Hufnagel went from being a skateboard legend to starting HUF in 2002, and was able to successfully bridge the gap between skate and hip-hop style through quality sneaker collaborations, fitted hats that caused campouts, and playing off the imagery of local sports teams.

HUF flexed its knowledge of local history, and referenced the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906, the pyschedelic times in the Bay Area, and the region's gold mining past. When the label wasn't looking back at its hometown's past, it procuced several collaborations with Nike, Nike SB, and adidas before launching its own sneaker line in 2010.

Growing off its sneaker, fitted, and T-shirt rep, HUF would grow into a complete clothing line that would go onto offer items that included raw denim, crewneck sweatshirts, and socks with a weed leaf print. The brand recently made the move down to L.A., but HUF's Bay Area roots definitely launched the brand near the top of the streetworld culture in the 2000s.

Founded: 1999
From: New York City

ALIFE had all avenues of the streetwear market cornered. It had a retail space, sneaker and clothing collaborations, and co-signs from relevant rappers. It didn't hurt that it threw parties with dudes like Nas, John Mayer, and Just Blaze. ALIFE was a hub in Manhattan's Lower East Side where streetwear and hip-hop came together and chilled, a partnership that was reflected heavily in its collaborations and in the development of its own apparel.

Founded: 1990
From: Los Angeles

FUCT is one of the most respected streetwear brands out there, and it's because it has been in business since 1990 and has never even come close to selling out. As stated by Bobby Hundreds, FUCT is one of the few American streetwear brands that still gets props in Japan.

With the prosperouse rise of streetwear in the 2000s, FUCT was able to regain its popularity as one of the culture's OGs. And like any good oldhead does, they helped guide the young ones to relevance through collaborations, including The Hundreds. Unlike a lot of brands that have been around as long as they have, FUCT has yet to fade into the distance, and a large part of this was maturing ahead of the general streetwear culture as the '00s progressed.

Founded: 2001
From: Los Angeles

Undefeated's name is equally respected by those who know the Los Angeles brand for its sneaker collaborations as it is by those who are devotees of the athletic apparel. The brand arguably had the most consistently solid sneaker collabs of the 2000s, even designing its own Air Jordan IVs.

Following the mantra that is the brand's name, Undefeated literally did not throw up a brick in the 2000s. It felt like every release from the brand reached peak levels of dopeness, but then the next collection would prove us wrong. Staying true to its sneaker roots, Undefeated played heavily off of sports-themed designs but didn't limit itself. Some of the best pieces from the label explored military-influenced designs, too.

Founded: 2003
From: Tokyo

Fragment Design comes from the mind of Hiroshi Fujiwara, and is the embodiment of how the genius designer heavily affects the streetwear game. Fragment Design doesn't produce a collection itself, but the collaborations and ideas executed by Fujiwara and his label shifted the entire culture more than just once. Talk to anyone who has a decent memory of the 2000s and they'll whisper in awe about the Converse Chuck Taylors with a non-white toe, the Kangol caps with a contrasting color underbrim, and the Levi's Fenom line, which was a Japanese streetwear take on denim and chinos that offered unique washes and branding that was foreign to traditional American-style jeans. His contributions may appear subtle, but without Fujiwara and Fragment Design, streetwear wouldn't have become the global phenomenon that it achieved in the 2000s.

Founded: 1998
From: Los Angeles

Nick Tershay, a skateboard kid from the Bay Area, started Diamond Supply Co. to make T-shirts for his friends, but soon designed one of the most recognizable Nike SB sneakers ever. Tershay was able to parlay his rep from the Nike SB release, the "Tiffany" dunks, and turned Diamond into much, much more the brand that was first made for his homies.

In the 2000s, the brand had logo flips on Iron Maiden, the Misfits, and even referenced soulful singer Sade and her album Diamond Life. Quite the accomplishment for a brand that first produced nuts, bolts, and griptape so its crew could skate non-stop.

Founded: 1995
From: New York City

10.Deep flourished during the 2000s, and developed new ways of connecting with and increasing their audience. The brand took gambles on up-and-coming artists Kid Cudi and Wale by putting out mixtapes for both artists. Each rapper had a significant and real connection with streetwear culture, which only gave the brand a bigger rep.

Besides working with rappers, 10.Deep's advantage over other brands is that it had been in business since 1995. By Y2K, the label had an authentic presence within the culture, and it could think beyond T-shirts. 10.Deep made dope vests, varsity jackets, and fitted and 5-panel hats. And let's be honest—everyone had a "Chain Gang" hoodie at some point or a piece of clothing with anthropomorphic brass knuckles.

Founded: 1990
From: New York City

It wouldn't be accurate to peg SSUR as just a 2000s streetwear brand; The label has been around since 1990. Founded by Russ Karablin, the brand took on camo prints, Soviet imagery, and put out well-known collaborations with DC Shoes in the 2000s.

Also, before it was popularized by A$AP Rocky, SSUR, under its sub-brand "The Cut," put out the COMME des FUCKDOWN T-shirt in 2007.

Another notable item weas when SSUR took every camo print available and put it on one hat. Even for the camo-obsessed times, the movie was seen as drastic, but it let everyone know Karablin and SSUR really didn't give a fuck about making safe clothes, and this is a huge reason why SSUR is still dominating in 2013.

Founded: 2002
From: Los Angeles

Crooks & Castles' mantra is "Behind every castle lies a crook," and it's this reference that allowed the brand to establish itself as a heavy presence in the 200s. During the decade, the brand collaborated with Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music, was worn by Jay Z, and referenced by Nas in his track, "Hero." Now that is quite the musician line-up.

Illuminati references were made through Medusa imagery, and the brand's "C" logo was actually a broken chain. Turns out that, what seemed like a cool, Los Angeles brand, was actually a streetwear line that was scratching for something deeper beneath the surface, and that's why it's no surprise it was adopted even by East Coast rap royalty.

Founded: 2005
From: Tokyo

Pharrell manifested his passion for flyness with the founding of Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream in 2005. Of course, the two labels were launched with help from his close friend and A Bathing Ape founder Nigo. From the names alone, you can guess that designs were loud and dripping in color. Pharrell's work was centered around all-over prints and closely mirrored Nigo's work.

Thanks to a deal with Reebok, Ice Cream was able to design its own sneakers that were covered in beepers and dollar signs. As Pharrell's taste level would suggest, BBC catered to a higher-end segment of streetwear and attempted to trend more towards a fashion-forward business model as the collections evolved. Besides A Bathing Ape, BBC was one of the first brands to move streetwear towards a luxe, high-fashion direction, which is something we're all familiar with today.

Founded: 2003
From: Los Angeles

The Hundreds became huge thanks to the brand's foresight to embrace the emerging blog scene and stay ahead of the pack when it came to using the meeting point of streetwear and the Internet to its own advantage. Of course, consistently putting out thoughtful and clever designs obviously had something to do with it too.

The brand launched in 2003 while founders Ben and Bobby Hundreds were still in law school, and was able to quickly grow from a clothing company with a great logo to the authoritative cool guy in L.A. streetwear.

The Hundreds' work has always been categorized as something fun, and its graphic tees caught your attention but left a redeeming quality. They collaborated with Crooks and Castles, co-signed Dom Kennedy's Future Street/Drug Sounds mixtape, and at one point had everyone dripping in paisley print. Because they always held true to the philosophy that streetwear was all about having fun and being creative, The Hundreds was able to work with people it respected, pursue original concepts, and gain worldwide success.

Founded: 1999
From: California

Backpack rap was a popular alternative for lyric-fiending hip-hop enthusiasts, and their go-to brand was LRG. The brand enjoyed huge popularity in the 2000s thanks to aligning itself with rappers such as Black Thought of The Roots and Kanye West, and Ye wearing its "Dead Serious" hoodie was one of the single most definable moments in 2000s streetwear history.

Everyone was walking in a full-zip hoodie, and this X-ray-like sweatshirt even found its way into Evidence's "Mr. Slow Flow" video. Brand co-founder Jonas Bevacqua was close friends with Ben Baller, whose life-size personality and custom gold chains made LRG seem like a fantasy world that streetwear kids could easily become a part of and obtain.

Founded: 1994
From: New York City

The 2000s was Supreme's decade to shine. The brand had spent the second half of the '90s building its underground skate culture mystique, and by the time the 2000s rolled in, the brand started to put out high-profile collaborations with Nike SB, Neighborhood, Raekwon, and Kermit the Frog (photographed by Terry Richardson).

Supreme became a global name and instantly aligned the brand with the newfound interest in sneaker and hype culture, but didn't sacrifice any of its legitimacy. Instead, interest built with every Supreme release, and like other brands that survived beyond the 2000s, Supreme grew from basics into quality apparel collections that had a little bit of everything.

Founded: 1993
From: Japan

In the 2000s, A Bathing Ape was able to transcend itself from an obscure Japanese streetwear brand to a household name and a cultural touchstone. Brand founder Nigo became the arbiter of cool and had the most relevant rappers—Kanye West, Pharrell, Lil Wayne, and the Clipse, to name a few—not only wearing his clothes, but spreading word of the brand through their lyrics.

Before you knew it, kids all over were rocking BAPE camo, full-zip hoodies, Bapesta sneakers, and people were more likely to see choose counterfeit BAPE over another brand's actual offerings. When aliens come to Earth a million years from now and archeological digs turn up cultural artifacts from the 2000s, BAPE will be heavily represented.

Founded: 1980
From: California

By the time the new millennium rolled around, Stussy was already 20 years deep in the game. As other brands were just finding their stroke, the West Coast label had two decades of experience and know-how on others, and was able to constantly set the tone for the culture without overplaying itself.

Stussy continued to not only flip throwback rap lyrics and work some of the dopest hip-hop talents like EPMD and Stones Throw Records into their work, but also expanded into the art world by working with artists like Kaws and Futura. The 2000s also secured Stussy as a collaborative sneaker powerhouse. The brand worked with Nike throughout the decade on Huaraches, Huarache Lights, SB Dunks, Blazers, and more.

Still, amongst the proliferating business model of limited edition pieces and hype over exclusivity, Stussy remained accessible to the budding streetwear fan who wanted to be a part of the culture that was buzzing. By sticking to its guns and never fully committing to the faddish waves hat seemed to come every few months throughout the decade, Stussy remained both an OG and the label that continued to raise the bar for others to aspire to reach towards.